The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism today announced $4.8 million in new funding to expand a project that helps advance digital transformation at local news organizations across the country.

In October 2015, with support from Knight Foundation, Temple University’s School of Media and Communication announced the Knight-Temple Table Stakes project designed to help four major metropolitan daily news organizations accelerate a shift to digital from print, evolving their practices to reach new audiences and better engage their readers and their communities. The project involved the development and application of the technology, workflows, roles and skills required to sustain a successful news digital organization. More than 50 leaders from four leading news organizations—The Dallas Morning News; the Miami Herald; the Minneapolis Star Tribune; and Philadelphia Media Network, which is home to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com—spent a year focused on creating approaches to advance digital transformation.

Building on strong early results, the initiative is being expanded under a new name, the Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative, signaling the introduction of a new leadership partner, The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, based in Philadelphia. Knight Foundation is committing $3.3 million, adding to its $1.3 million in previous support. The Lenfest Institute for Journalism is investing $1.5 million. [Read more…]

Recommendations

“Joe is one of the best PR professionals in the business. He knows just what to do, who to call, and how to make things happen. His ability to connect and be on point is one of the traits that differentiates him from others. Joe’s creativity combined with his empathy and intelligence make him one of a kind.”